Hope
by Swirl-O-Whirl
Summary: At April and Casey's wedding, Leonardo ponders if he can find forgiveness. Written for LeoSagi week, combining the "Food" and "Distance" prompts
_A/N: Written for LeoSagi week, combining the "Food" and "Distance" prompts. It's always bothered me that Leo and Usagi never talked at April and Casey's wedding, so here is my "What if?" fic in response to that. Enjoy_

* * *

The O'Neil-Jones wedding was certainly a day to remember, and not strictly because of the Foot Clan attack that occurred merely one hour ago. Beings from across the planet, the vast expanding reaches of outer space, and even different dimensions, had all attended the event to wish the couple well in their new life together. The O'Neil family had been a bit late in attending the wedding, as they were still processing the vast amount of strange beings in attendance, but after the initial shock the family welcomed April's extended family and friends as one of their own.

Currently the party had reached a quiet lull as various pairs, with the now married couple on the center stage, danced slowly to a classic love song. Other guests had decided to spend their time socializing with each other, either getting to know new acquaintances or catching up with old friends. Leatherhead was talking animatedly with his utrom family, who he had not seen for many years, excited to learn from Mortu how his kith were fairing on the Utrom Homeworld. The turtle Donatello stood close by, himself equal parts curious to learn more of the utrom's home, as he was glad to share in his friend's happiness.

Michelangelo was the life of the party, as he saw that it was his duty as the maid-of-honour to ensure that all of the guests were content. The O'Neil family took an instant liking to the turtle, especially Grandma O'Neil, who was currently discussing the comics she had collected in her youth, while Mikey listened with awe.

Meanwhile, Mrs. Jones and Master Splinter were sitting to the side, watching the party and relishing the site of their children enjoying themselves.

By all accounts, the party was a complete success, which is why Leonardo felt guilty for not sharing in the elation the rest of the guests were experiencing. The cause of his discomfort was not with the venue, the food, or even the Foot's attack. As he slowly sipped a glass from the punch bowl, Mikey's "special blend" of highly sweetened fruit juices, his gaze slowly turned towards the source of his concerns: Miyamoto Usagi.

Leonardo sighed to himself. To be honest the problem was not the rabbit, but rather it was the turtle's fault. He could still recall how rude he had been to the _ronin_ when they last met each other. He cringed at the harsh tone, and curt words he threw at his best friend, when all Usagi had wanted to do was to help him. But his biggest regret, was that even after he was able to forgive himself, to let go of his anger and fear, he still had been unable to find a way to apologize to the rabbit. And that was what caused his stomach to churn the most. He was such a coward, and Usagi did not deserve a friend who could not even find a way to properly apologize.

Leo took another sip from his glass, hoping the sickly sweet drink would calm him, but found that he had already drained its contents. He gave a pursed looked to his cup, as if had personally offended him, sighed, and walked towards the punch bowl. He filled his glass, pondering his current situation when he noticed that someone had tapped him on the shoulder.

"Penny for your thoughts, bro?"

Leo sighed for what must have been the third time in as many minutes. Of course Raph would notice him sulking, he always did even when they were young. Thankfully, judging by his brother neutral expression and non-judgement tone, his younger brother wasn't looking for a fight.

"How do you always manage to do that?"

The red-masked turtle made a perplexed expression. "Do what?"

"Know when I'm sulking."

There was a rude snort.

"It ain't hard bro. I know you try to make yourself seem all detached and mysterious, and you do don't deny it, but if you spend your whole life living with someone you're bound to notice a thing or two."

Leo, a bit miffed at his brother's blunt assessment, chewed the inside of his cheek as he considered how to respond. After a few seconds the turtle conceded that since his brother was willing to listen, he might as well receive an honest answer.

"It's Usagi," the turtle admitted, "I just don't know what to do. On the one hand I'm so happy to see him again. I want to ask him how things are going for him in Japan, and if Tomoe Ame and Lord Noriyuki are well. But-"

He gulped and found himself looking to his glass. His face, made orange and pink by the beverage, looked back up at him.

"I was…awful. The last time we saw each other. Usagi just wanted to help, and all I gave him in return was a bad attitude. And what's worse, I haven't even had the decency to apologize to him for it. I hoped that I could find a way to make it him at the party, but I haven't been able to gather the courage for even a quick 'Hello'. I just wish I knew what to do."

There, he said it. He couldn't face his brother as he admitted this, and quite frankly he wasn't sure if he even wanted to look at Raph right now. It may have been over a year since his time with the Ancient One, but the shame he felt about his actions that day still persisted.

"Do you wanna apologize?"

Leo blinked, and turned slightly towards his brother.

"Of course I do! I just…don't know if I have the right words."

Another snort.

"Who gives a crap if they're the 'right' words," Raph stated before he took a swig of punch, "All that matters is that you're being honest with him."

The blue-masked turtle was taken aback by his brother's statement. He took an issue that had been coiling and churning inside of him, making him doubt himself, and turned it into something so simple. But there was still something else pressing on the back of his mind.

"What if that's not enough though?" the turtle asked quietly.

"Then he ain't worth being your friend bro."

Leo looked up to his younger brother, his shocked expression clear to see. The younger turtle simply shrugged.

"No point having someone around that can't handle you at your worst, and only ever expects your best."

And that was it. Leonardo mulled over his brother's advice, and nodded to himself.

"I guess you're right. But there's just one thing I cannot understand."

Raph gave a confused look to his older brother. Leo's face had changed from the doubtful frown to what could only be called the "older brother" face he wore when he had to scold one of his younger siblings. The change was certainly unexpected, if a little confusing to Raph.

"Sure, bro. What's the problem?"

The expression of seriousness melted away as Leo quizzically raised his left eyebrow, and a smile curved on his lips.

"Since when were _you_ the turtle who gave out relationship advice to people?"

Raph narrowed his eyes at his brother.

"I am when you're acting like this. Seriously, bro, Usagi's your best pal, and if I know you, you were probably going to sulk all evening without even talking to him. So get your shell moving before I start doing it for ya!"

Leo held up his glass free hand defensively to his brother.

"Alright. I'll go."

He finished the contents of the glass, and then left it on the dishes tray. The turtle took a deep breath to brace himself, and brushed off his tuxedo for any dust or wrinkles. As he walked past his brother, Raph gave him a reassuring pat on the shoulder. And with that Leo continued to walk across the yard.

Usagi was currently in the middle of a discussion with Gennosuke, something about a woman named Kitsune, when the pair turned and saw Leo approaching them. The turtle bowed deeply to the rabbit.

"Hello, Usagi- _san_ , it's great to see you again."

Leo rose his head briefly held his breath waiting for the rabbit to respond. He had opted for a more formal greeting, hoping that it would be the most appropriate approach. The samurai smiled, causing the ninja's heart to skip a beat, and then bowed in return.

"It is good to see you as well, my friend."

Leo let go of the breath he was holding. The smile and calm words had an instant effect on the turtle, and his expression softened into an honest smile. Both ninja and samurai rose to their proper heights.

"I trust your trip to our dimension was uneventful."

"Indeed. Aside from a few nosey _tokage_ our journey was quieter than usual."

"That's a relief."

"Ahem!"

The turtle and the rabbit were shocked out of their shared gaze, when they realized that Gennosuke was still standing nearby. The pair were rather flustered, and unsure about how to respond to the rhino's presence, but thankfully Usagi had recovered quickly enough to respond.

"Yes, Gen? Is there something you would like to say?" Leo was not certain, but Usagi sounded a bit annoyed at the rhino.

"Well, I was just thinking of grabbing some more grub, and I was wondering if either of your wanted anything. I think they have more of those 'hot dogs' at the buffet."

"I'm fine."

"As am I."

"Really? Oh well, more for me then!"

And with that the rhino walked towards one of the many tables of food. There was a brief pause, before Usagi spoke up again.

"I believe that is Gen's attempt at subtlety, though I must admit he does a very poor job at it."

To anyone else Usagi may have sounded curt, but Leo knew his friend's occasional dry sense of humour and chuckled. In truth he was secretly thankful for the rhino's abrupt exit, as it gave him an opening for the real conversation he needed to have. All he had to do was be honest and hope for the best. The turtle took a deep breath and turn towards his best friend.

"Usagi, there is something I need to talk to you about."

* * *

"My apologies for being late. The meeting took longer than I previously expected," Traximus said to his terrapin companion. He was dressed in what Raph only assumed was some sort of triceraton formal wear, combined with the gas mask essential for his time on Earth. Under his arm was a box wrapped in a simple bow.

"Don't worry about it Trax, you weren't the only one who showed up late. 'Sides at least you brought a gift"

While his face was obscured by his headgear, it was clear that the triceraton was relieved to hear this confirmation, as his shoulders sagged and posture became loose.

"I take it from your expression that everything has gone well?"

Raph pointed to the dance floor.

"See for yourself."

The slow dances had concluded some time ago, and now the stage was full of beings dancing to more high-energy tunes. Mikey and Angel had taken the center stage and were currently having their own dance contest, while the rest of the guests surrounded them in a semi-circle. Loud applause, and shouts of admiration, filed the air as the duo performed increasingly complex dance routines.

Near the outer edge of the circle Leo and Usagi were together, laughing and cheering on the two dancers. Every now and then the pair would share a few words with each other, broad grins on their faces, before turning back to enjoy the spectacle before them.

The triceraton smiled down to Raphael, who had a small grin of his own as he looked out at his brother.

"I told you not to worry about them," Traximus said knowingly.

"Yeah, yeah, I know," the turtle replied with a dismissive hand wave.

The triceraton decided not to press the matter further, and instead took in the alien music of Earth for a few moments. Then Raph, turned to him and gave a mischievous grin.

"C'mon, let's go see if we can get that rhino to fork over Mikey's comics."


End file.
